“When my death came it was swift,” reports 12-year-old Daisy. “One moment I was in the car, the next on the road, and then I wasn’t anywhere.” But Daisy isn’t left wondering for long. She soon finds herself in a sort of job center for souls about to be returned to Earth. 

There’s only one hitch: Although instructed to go through the door on the right to take up her new corporeal form, Daisy goes through the door on the left. The result is her reincarnation into a puppy, and she remembers everything about her past life as a girl.

Although perfectly able and willing to take up her canine responsibilities, Daisy finds her first home leaves a lot to be desired. But after running away, she finds a true companion in a homeless boy called Pip, who names her Ray. Pip and Ray set off on a series of adventures: Pip is seeking the father who doesn’t know he exists, and Ray is hoping to catch sight of her own parents, whose lives have been inextricably altered since Daisy’s fatal car accident. 

The Dog, Ray by Linda Coggin, first published in the U.K. in 2010, is told from Daisy’s often-humorous perspective: “It’s perfectly obvious to me what sit means. She doesn’t have to say it slowly, in a loud voice, as if I come from a foreign country.” While the voice is lighthearted and Daisy’s story has a satisfying ending, the book’s themes of death, the afterlife and homelessness make it best suited for readers age 10 and older.

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Steamboat School.

This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

A red flag goes up for Devlin Quick when she learns that a rare map has been stolen from the New York Public Library. A modern-day version of Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes and a bit of Encyclopedia Brown, 12-year-old Devlin enlists the help of friends Booker and Liza, as well as her grandmother Lulu, to do some major sleuthing. Clues seem to point in the direction of an upcoming exhibition. As Devlin and her friends prepare to attend, they have no idea how things will unfold, especially when Devlin’s sleuthing impulses kick into high gear.

Into the Lion’s Den, the first book in bestselling author Linda Fairstein’s Devlin Quick Mysteries, wraps education and detective work into one delightful literary package. The action-packed, first-person story is full of informational tidbits on beloved authors (Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen), cartographers, New York library history and much more. With a balanced mix of well-defined characters, engaging dialogue, cliffhanging chapters and unexpected scenes, this book is nothing less than one riveting read.

Into the Lion’s Den has high reader appeal, reaching out to young mystery enthusiasts and beyond.

This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Clara didn’t even want to go shopping in the first place. But when the 12-year-old finds a mysterious note in a department store handbag, she feels compelled to act. The note, written by Yuming, a desperate girl in a Chinese sweatshop, begs for someone to rescue her from her captivity inside the “pink factory.”

Clara is dealing with the recent death of her adopted Chinese sister, Lola, and Clara believes she was meant to find the note: She couldn’t save Lola from cancer, but maybe she can save Yuming. After all, isn’t that what Lola would want her to do? Clara tells her parents about the note, but is convinced she is Yuming’s only hope. So after convincing her parents to take a trip to China—under the ruse of honoring Lola’s heritage—Clara attempts to find Yuming, who has planned an escape of her own. 

Ami Polonsky’s Threads is a powerful story, told through Clara and Yuming’s alternating perspectives. Both girls have soul-wrenching missions, both are willing to risk everything to accomplish them, and both ultimately need each other more than they think they do. Their intersecting stories speak of loss, but also of hope and the realization that we are more alike than different. All we want is respect, connections and a chance to be heard—which both Clara and Yuming come to realize.

This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Sixth-grader Maggie Gallagher is a hacker, but not with computers. She takes after her late father, who went to MIT, where he learned to “hack”—to pull wildly elaborate practical jokes. Stuck in the stagnant small town of Odawahaka, Maggie imagines conversations with him while living and breathing by his notebook, The Hacker’s Bible. She adores explosions, but she abides by her father’s rules to be safe and not destroy other people’s property. 

Not surprisingly, Maggie is Nothing but Trouble, especially after she teams up with a new girl in town named Lena. Their dilapidated school is about to be demolished, so the pair concoct a scheme to have a mascot mouse be elected class president, in honor of the fabled mice that live within the school’s walls. 

This is indeed the story of a mouse that roared, as what begins as a prank turns into a movement, empowering not only Maggie and Lena but all of their classmates to stand up against the dictatorial new principal, Mr. Shute. The girls find a surprising ally in their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Dorn-busch, the school’s oldest and most feared teacher, also known as the Dungeon Dragon.

While comical, the novel extols some high concepts. Lena is a fan of the Dadaist art movement (mentioned and explained throughout), and there’s an entertaining physics-based activity section at the book’s end related to hacking. Both at school and at home, Maggie learns to delve deeper into relationships, especially with her wheelchair-bound grandfather and still-grieving mother, who struggles with alcohol. Author Jacqueline Davies (The Lemonade War series) also leaves readers with a teaser in this first book of a new series, as Lena promises to explain some of her family’s “oddities” in the near future.

Filled with heart, humor and plenty of practical jokes, Nothing but Trouble portrays an improbable but poignant middle school world. Sometimes getting in trouble is worth it, Lena and Maggie learn, and middle school readers will enjoy their rollicking journey.

This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

While her daddy (dubbed “Scrappy” after his fondness for fighting) serves time in the county jail in Raleigh, North Carolina, and her mama can’t make it out of bed anymore, fifth-grader Charlemagne “Charlie” Reese has gone to stay with her aunt and uncle, Bertha and Gus, in their house that seems to hang off the side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Charlie, who inherited her father’s impulsiveness, may admit that she likes spending time in the mountains, but there’s no way she’s going to live where it’s just red dirt roads and “hillbilly kids” who probably eat squirrel. But no matter where she is, Charlie never passes up the chance with a four-leaf clover, a fallen eyelash or a rare yellow train car to make a secret wish.

Once again author Barbara O’Connor wields her Southern charm to tell this spunky gal’s story. When a stray dog appears, especially a dog that won’t judge Charlie’s past, she can’t help but name it Wishbone and begin to open up her guarded heart. Once opened, her heart finds a friend in Howard, an ever-positive boy, even when picked on for his up-down gait. Alongside painful truths about her parents, Charlie experiences family with Bertha and Gus—and her wish just might come true after all.

Like a generous portions of grits, Wish makes the world a little better.

Debut author Kate Beasley crafts a story packed with wit and down-home charm, led by a heroine with enough spirit and spunk to rival the likes of Junie B. Jones and Ramona Quimby, and complemented by illustrations from Caldecott Honor artist Jillian Tamaki.

Gertie Reece Foy is a force to be reckoned with. She always has at least one mission in the works, and she never fails to complete them. Described by her father as “a bulldog with its jaws locked on a car tire,” Gertie’s greatest strength is that she never gives up on anything. So when she finds out that her estranged mother plans to leave their coastal Alabama town, Gertie immediately concocts a plan to convince her to stay: She will become the greatest fifth grader in the whole universe. All she has to do is write the best summer speech, become the smartest student in her class and win the lead part in the play. There’s only one problem: It turns out that Gertie has some competition for the title of best fifth grader, one Mary Sue Spivey, and she won’t be an easy rival to defeat.

This is a classic coming-of-age tale filled with hope and heart. Gertie will burrow her way into your heart right from the very first page, and stay there long after the book is closed. Beasley’s writing sparkles with just the right balance of humor and emotion, and readers are sure to find parts of themselves in Gertie’s quest of self-discovery. 

How exactly does slavery fit into our nation’s history? Middle and high school students will have a much better understanding after reading In the Shadow of Liberty by Kenneth C. Davis, bestselling author of the Don’t Know Much About series. 

After introductory chapters describe how slavery became part of the country’s economy, Davis provides detailed stories of the slaves of four presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Andrew Jackson. And what fascinating, ultimately tragic tales they are. Billy Lee was the valet who accompanied Washington across the Delaware and at Valley Forge, and he can be seen in the background of several famous paintings. Ona Judge was Martha Washington’s personal servant who ran away to New Hampshire. Isaac Granger was captured by the British as a young boy to become one of “Master Jefferson’s people” and was a witness to Cornwallis’ defeat at Yorktown. Paul Jennings was James Madison’s personal servant and later wrote what is considered to be the first White House memoir. Alfred Jackson, who died a free man, told tales to museum visitors of his life as Andrew Jackson’s slave.

Davis addresses head-on the irony that these presidential defenders of liberty and equality kept slaves. He backs up his discussion with a variety of photos, illustrations and helpful timelines. In the Shadow of Liberty provides an informative read about a subject that’s not always fully addressed in the classroom.

This article was originally published in the October 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

The long-awaited new novel from Trenton Lee Stewart, author of the award-winning, bestselling Mysterious Benedict Society series, is full of intrigue, bravery and friendship. 

Reuben is a loner. He spends his days keeping to the shadows, always on the lookout for hiding places, while his mom works two jobs to keep them in their run-down apartment. But when one of Reuben’s daring exploits results in him coming into possession of a coveted pocket watch with an extraordinary function, our young hero suddenly finds himself swept up in a centuries-old fight for power. If he is to prevail, he must learn to trust his new companions: steadfast Penny, cunning Jack and wise Mrs. Genevieve. 

With writing that is smart and fresh, this middle grade novel showcases Stewart’s trademark blend of edge-of-your-seat adventure and emotional resonance. The almost dystopian world of New Umbra is detailed and thoroughly explained, forming the ideal backdrop as one twist gives way to another. The real heart of this story is its beautifully portrayed relationships, from Reuben’s close bond with his mother to his friendship with Penny. This novel has everything: sharp writing, dynamic characters, a well-paced plot, a detailed setting and, most importantly, lots and lots of heart.

This article was originally published in the October 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.